Al Duaa Marina Tower plot photo, Dubai Marina , October 2013

Stella Hotel Dubai plot and Marina Suites photos, Dubai Marina , October 2016

Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai doubles room inventory

Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai doubles room inventory

150 new guestrooms expands offering by 130% with a further 75 rooms and suites planned; three new dining outlets and poolside & terrace upgrade as visitor numbers to Dubai continue to rise unabated  

The award-winning Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai, has just completed the current phase of its expansion programme, adding 150 new superior rooms to the existing inventory of 115. The business-focused premier four-star hotel, will add a further 75 club rooms and suites before the end of the year, making a total of 341 bedrooms.

Located on the first four floors of the extension, the 40-square metre superior rooms are equipped with corporate travellers in mind and feature an executive working desk, 40-inch flat screen television, WiFi internet access, coffee and tea-making facilities and a spacious bathroom with separate bath and walk-in shower.

Named the Middle East’s Leading Airport Hotel at the 2013 World Travel Awards, the opening of the hotel’s extension is timely, according to general manager Simon Moore. ”These additional rooms, not only increase the number of guests we can accommodate, but by offering the very latest in technology, design and guest comfort, they also enable us to compete more effectively for greater market share.”  

The extension will also be home to 75 club rooms and suites before the end of this year, as well as three new food and beverage outlets and state of the art ballroom and meeting facilities which should come on stream early next year.  

The hotel extension comes to market at a time when MasterCard’s latest Global Destination Cities Index, positions Dubai, as the seventh most popular destination city with 9.89 million international overnight visitors in 2013, up 8.2% from last year. And if Dubai continues its current rate of growth, by 2016 it will have moved into third place, above Paris and Singapore, which measured 13.92m and 11.75m visitors, respectively. 

Hospitality Consultant TRI measured Dubai’s hotel occupancy levels during the first half of this year at 86%, and forecasts an 11% increase for the full year 2013 compared with the previous year.  

“With our location close to Dubai Airport, we are ideally situated to take advantage of the increasing numbers of stopover passengers, short stay leisure visitors and of course business guests quite literally on ‘flying visits’,” said Moore.  

Of course if Dubai wins the World Expo 2020 bid, this will dramatically increase the number of visitors to the UAE. 

A recent Expo 2020 economic impact report by Oxford Economics shows that Dubai Expo 2020 would support over 277,000 jobs – many generated by the $7.2 billion that would be invested in transport infrastructure. HSBC estimates 45,000 new hotel rooms would be needed to host Expo 2020, the equivalent to adding over 6% per annum to Dubai’s existing room capacity, which will cost a further $7.2 billion.

Turning his attention to the significant outdoor space that has also been renovated, Moore added. “With the cooler temperatures putting outdoor events back on the agenda, our al fresco venues are a major driver for banqueting business, giving us an added value edge, especially for the MICE market,” added Moore.

Popular settings for outdoor social gatherings and corporate events, the 503-square metre Oasis Pool & Bar area has been re-landscaped to offer an enhanced experience for large scale events for between 150 and 600 guests.

This is complemented by the popular Terrace area adjacent, which cumulatively incorporates the outdoor spaces used by the hotels’ three dining and entertainment outlets – Cactus Jack’s, Biggles pub and Gozo Garden – with a combined capacity for 550 guests.

The hotel has also been nominated in the ‘World’s Leading Airport Hotel’ category at the 20th annual World Travel Awards, taking place 30 November in Doha Qatar. 

For more information about The Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai, please log onto www.millenniumhotels.com

Photo caption: The new superior rooms at the Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai.

MELIÁ HOTELS INTERNATIONAL AND OMNIYAT SIGN OFFICIAL AGREEMENT FOR ME DUBAI

MELIÁ HOTELS INTERNATIONAL AND OMNIYAT SIGN OFFICIAL AGREEMENT FOR ME DUBAI

The signature ceremony, following the project’s announcement in Dubai’s Cityscape, was held during the World Travel Market in London, at the magnificent “ME Suite” of the  ME London hotel, another masterpiece of the ME by Meliá brand.

Dubai, UAE, 5 November 2013: Mr. Mahdi Amjad, Executive Chairman and CEO of Omniyat, and Mr Gabriel Escarrer, CEO and Vice Chairman of Meliá Hotels International, have signed an agreement for the next hot new hotel opening in Dubai in early 2016, ME Dubai.

The signature showed the firm commitment of both leaders to make this project a sound success: in words of Mr. Amjad: “last October, we surprised the market by announcing the first hotel entirely designed by Zaha Hadid, and since then, as expected, the interest of potential investors has not stopped growing. I can see that ME Dubai will be a quantum leap in the Middle East Hotel & Real Estate market”.

Mr. Escarrer explained how proud he felt about signing ME Dubai, which in his expert opinion, will become the hottest hotel opening in years: “Dubai is in full recovery these days, along with the dynamic Middle East region, and the ME Dubai hotel will provide a completely new hotel and leisure offering for the emerging and very specific social psychographic: the open minded and stylish crowd looking for places and people to engage with”.

More about ME Dubai

ME Dubai will open in the jaw-dropping Opus building, developed by real estate company Omniyat. Zaha Hadid’s first hotel project for which she will design all of the interiors and exteriors, ME Dubai is situated at the heart of the up-and-coming Burj Khalifa District. The stylish hotel will consist of 100 rooms, complimented by Michelin-star restaurants and exclusive international F&B brands, masterfully distributed across 250,000 sq. ft in the striking 95metre high Opus building. Along with Zaha Hadid’s masterwork of design, whose repertoire gravitates towards interconnectedness and originality, the Opus building will stand out as one of the most striking landmarks on the Dubai skyline and offer the hotel guests and residents of the serviced apartments an experiential journey. ME by Meliá is for cultured, fashionable guests who are driven by new experiences and opportunities.  The brand has been built on first-rate service, and ME Dubai will be no exception. Each guest's stay will be orchestrated by the dedicated Aura Manager, whose job it is to know the city back-to-front and use this knowledge to make the hotel's service truly bespoke. ME Dubai’s facilities and Aura service will also be extended to the owners of the exclusive serviced apartments located on the upper floors, including four penthouses with private roof terraces.

About Omniyat

Omniyat is a privately held real estate development and service related company established in 2005 and headquartered in Dubai, UAE. It is considered as the most innovative, successful and premium development brand in the Gulf region, conceptualizing and creating real estate assets with a combined gross realization of over AED 6 Billion.  Led by Mr. Mahdi Amjad, Executive Chairman and CEO, Omniyat undertakes investment, development and asset management across a broad spectrum of property assets, providing sustained value and tangible, measurable benefits to all stakeholders involved, including shareholders, buyers and the community. Omniyat works with the world’s best known and most respected architects, specialty consultants and contractors to develop and launch large-scale and iconic properties. www.omniyat.com

About Meliá Hotels International

Meliá Hotels International was founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and is one of the world’s largest resort hotel chains, as well as Spain’s leading hotel chain. It currently operates and distributes more than 350 hotels and 90,000 rooms in 39 countries on 4 continents under its brands: Gran Meliá, Meliá, ME, Innside, Tryp by Wyndham, Sol and Paradisus. Its product and service portfolio is complemented by Club Meliá, the only vacation club operated by a Spanish company.

About ME by Meliá: ME by Meliá is a contemporary interpretation of the Meliá experience. It is a brand which seeks to fuse innovative style with local flavours in order to captivate travelers of a common psychographic – those with a decisive taste for cutting-edge art and design, international cuisine and world music – rather than a common demographic. By capturing these elements in urban and resort destinations, this new philosophy ignites a passion in each guest while appealing to their senses and emotions. The experience is unforgettable. There are currently ME Hotels in London, Madrid, Cancun and Cabo with more to follow in 2014. www.me-by-melia.com

Dubai Marina Hotel Tower plot photos, UAE, October 2013

Marina Star plot photo, Dubai Marina , October 2013

The Atlantic photo, Dubai Marina, October 2013

RTA awards AED500million contract for Phase I of Bridges & Roads Network of Dubai Water Canal Project

RTA awards AED500million contract for Phase I of Bridges & Roads Network of Dubai Water Canal Project

The contract encompasses elevating the Sh Zayed Road above the course of the Canal

Comprehensive Plan charted out to ensure smooth traffic diversions: Al Tayer

Dubai- Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:

The Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), chaired by H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director, has recently endorsed the award of a contract for Phase I of Bridges & Roads Network of the Dubai Water Canal Project; which encompasses three phases. The RTA is tasked with the design and construction works of the project up to the completion of the final phase linking the Dubai Creek with the Arabian Gulf through extending the Canal to pass under the Sheikh Zayed Road, and across Al Safa Park, Jumeirah 2 and continue up to the Arabian Gulf near the southern part of the Jumeirah Beach Park.

“Phase I of the project, awarded to the Turkish Jonal Company in a AED500 million contract, comprises the construction of a bridge across the Sheikh Zayed Road passing above the waterway enabling free navigation 24/7, besides modifying the path of impacted roads in a way ensuring integrated traffic flow between the two sides of the new Canal. about an 800-meter long sector of the Sheikh Zayed Road will be impacted by the project which also includes the shifting of the existing utility lines impacted by the course of the Canal, as well as undertaking lighting and water fountains works on the bridge,” explained Al Tayer.

“The project works of the Dubai Water Canal have been split into three contracts; the first and second one include the construction of bridges above the Canal for the main roads intercepting the Canal i.e. the Sheikh Zayed Road comprising 8 lanes in each direction as well as Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Road, each comprising 3 lanes in each direction. The bridges will rise 8.5 meters above the water level to enable a free round-the-clock navigation in the Canal. The project works also include shifting the utility lines via conduits passing underneath the Canal, besides constructing a multi-tier interchange above Al Wasl Road providing free access and smooth traffic movement at Al Hadiqa Road and Al Athar Road upon the completion of the project.

“The third contract of the project is devoted to the drilling & landscaping works, building 4 pedestrian bridges linking with both sides of the Canal, and constructing 4 marine transport stations to ease the movement of the public and encourage the mass & tourist transport as the mass transit means are envisioned to serve more than six million passengers according to the Strategic Plan set for the marine transportation in Dubai,” elaborated RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director.

Smooth Traffic Flow

Al Tayer further noted that the RTA had mapped out a comprehensive plan for the traffic diversion in order to ensure a smooth traffic movement. “The engineering design of the temporary traffic diversion will conform to all specifications of permanent roads in terms of engineering design, leveling of the surface & the asphalt, and the provision of sufficient lighting matching to the designed road speed to ensure the safety of all road users. During the diversion stage, the same number of the existing lanes will be maintained in order to avoid any negative repercussions on the current traffic volumes, thus avert any potential additional congestions or delay as a result of the construction works. The contractor’s work site will be fully separated by means of high barriers to suppress the amount of noise or inconvenience to road users as well as residents of the neighbourhood in as much as possible,” added Al Tayer.

“The RTA will undertake several improvements of the network of main roads intercepting the Canal as well as some improvements of the neighbouring localities such as Juemirah and Al Safa including the construction of roads on both sides of the Canal to serve the mobility between these communities. Pedestrians will have a free and safe movement through the construction of 4 pedestrian bridges above the Canal, one of them will be a bridge fitted with convenient stores. There will also be dedicated tracks for practicing light sports such as jogging and cycling alongside both banks of the Canal in addition to aesthetic landscaping works on both sides of the Canal including greens, plazas, sitting & relaxation areas, and a cocktail of tourist-oriented projects,” said Al Tayer in a concluding remark.

Captions:

-      Layout of the 16-lane Bridge above the Water Canal

-      Layout of the Dubai Water Canal project

Dolce Vita photo, Dubai Marina, 16/October/2013

Al Bateen Residences photos, aka Jumeirah Towers, Dubai Marina , 16/October/2013